Friday, December 30, 2016

Parshas Mikeitz continues the story of
Yosef and the brothers, but this time, the shoe is on the other foot. Yosef is
raised from slavery to second-in-command of the entire country of Egypt by
interpreting Paroh’s dreams. The dreams informed him that there would soon be
seven years of plentiful food, followed by seven years of even worse hunger.
Armed with this knowledge, Yosef prepared Egypt for these years, and eventually
Egypt became the wealthiest country in the civilized world.

During the famine, the entire world came
to Egypt to buy food, including Yaakov’s family. When the brothers arrive,
Yosef summons them to the palace, accuses them of being spies, and throws
Shimon in jail until the brothers return with Binyamin. His purpose was to get
them to do teshuvah for selling him, and he succeeded. The first step in this
process is found in Perek 42 pasuk 21. “וַיֹּֽאמְר֞וּ
אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־אָחִ֗יו אֲבָל֘ אֲשֵׁמִ֣ים | אֲנַ֘חְנוּ֘ עַל־אָחִ֒ינוּ֒ אֲשֶׁ֨ר
רָאִ֜ינוּ צָרַ֥ת נַפְשׁ֛וֹ בְּהִתְחַֽנְנ֥וֹ אֵלֵ֖ינוּ וְלֹ֣א שָׁמָ֑עְנוּ
עַל־כֵּן֙ בָּ֣אָה אֵלֵ֔ינוּ הַצָּרָ֖ה הַזֹּֽאת” “They then said
one to another, ‘Indeed we are guilty concerning our brother inasmuch as we saw
his heartfelt anguish when he pleaded with us and we paid no heed; that is why
this anguish has come upon us.” The brothers finally recognized that they
had wronged Yosef. However, one brother was quick to remove himself from the
rest.

Last week, we discussed how Reuven
attempted to save Yosef by convincing the brothers not to kill him and how the
pasuk goes out if its way to mention this fact. With the brothers finally
admitting they were wrong, Reuven is quick to point out his role. “וַיַּ֩עַן֩
רְאוּבֵ֨ן אֹתָ֜ם לֵאמֹ֗ר הֲלוֹא֩ אָמַ֨רְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶ֧ם | לֵאמֹ֛ר
אַל־תֶּֽחֶטְא֥וּ בַיֶּ֖לֶד וְלֹ֣א שְׁמַעְתֶּ֑ם וְגַם־דָּמ֖וֹ הִנֵּ֥ה נִדְרָֽשׁ” “Reuven spoke up to them, saying, ‘Did I not speak to you
saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy,’ but you would not listen! And his blood
as well--behold!-- is being avenged.” (42:22). But if we look back in
Parshas Vayeishev, this isn’t what Reuven said at all! (See 37:22.) What is
Reuven’s accusation here?

The Ohr HaChaim points out that the word
“לֵאמֹר” is brought twice in the
pasuk, quoting Reuven’s current statement, and when Reuven bringing up his
previous statement from Vayeishev (which we asked isn’t what he actually said);
this is not the typical style of the Torah. Based on this and our question, he
explains the story like this.

The brothers said that they were being
punished because they ignored Yosef’s pleas for help. Reuven answered them that
he had not sinned against Yosef; he had heard Yosef’s pleas and had done what he
could to save him. And even though he wasn’t explicit in telling the brothers
they should bring Yosef back home, all he said was they shouldn’t kill him, the
intent behind his words was that they shouldn’t do anything at all towards
Yosef. So the first ‘לֵאמֹר’ is to show that Reuven
was separating himself and speaking towards the brothers, and the second is a
quote of sorts, of what he meant to say in Vayeishev.

How could Reuven assume the brothers
would take his hint? Actually, if you take his statement at face value, he
suggested they throw Yosef in a pit full of poisonous animals while the
brothers decided to sell him. If anything, the brothers did more to save Yosef’s
life than Reuven did! What right does Reuven have now to blame the brothers?

The Ohr HaChaim says an important idea
here. When Reuven said to throw Yosef in the pit, he said, “וְיָד אַל
תִּשְׁלְחוּ בוֹ” “Let us not send a hand against him” (Bereishis 37:22).
The main purpose behind Reuven’s idea to throw Yosef in the pit was to get him
out of the hands of the brothers and into the hands of Hashem. Humans are given
the great gift of choice; we can choose our own path in life. This power is so
great that we can even kill someone who is not supposed to be killed! Even if Hashem
has not decreed that this person should die, a person’s free-will gives him the
ability to do so anyway.

By keeping Yosef in the hands of man,
even by selling him, the brothers were still placing Yosef in peril. However,
Reuven had the idea to throw him in the pit with dangerous animals; animals
have no free-will, they must do exactly what Hashem wants. If Hashem had not
decreed that Yosef should die, then the animals would not be able to kill him.
By saying “וְיָד אַל תִּשְׁלְחוּ בוֹ”, Reuven hoped to remind
the brothers of this idea, and when they agreed to throw Yosef in the pit, he
thought they had gotten the message. When he came back later and discovered
that they had sold him, he realized that it hadn’t gotten through at all.
Therefore, at this time, he can with total confidence tell the brothers how
they had messed up without including himself.

Friday, December 23, 2016

Parshas Vayeishev begins perhaps the most
difficult story in the Torah, Yosef being sold into slavery by his brothers.
Why Yosef antagonized the brothers, why the brothers believed they were
justified in selling Yosef, why this was necessary in order to get Yaakov to go
to Mitzrayim, are just some of the questions that require an explanation. But
during all this, there is a detail discussed in Chazal that reveals an amazing
idea.

When the brothers began to deal with
Yosef, they first decided that he deserved to be killed (again, another
question that requires an explanation). However, Reuven stepped in and stopped
them. “וַיִּשְׁמַע רְאוּבֵן וַיַּצִּלֵהוּ מִיָּדָם” “And Reuven heard, and he rescued him from their hand” (Bereishis
37:21). He convinces them to instead throw Yosef in a pit where he would die of
natural causes instead of directly by their hands. However, pasuk 22 reveals to
us that his intentions all along were to come back later and rescue Yosef
himself. The medrash discusses this and explains that this shows us that a
person should perform every mitzvah with a full heart and true intentions. If
Reuven had known that for this small act of placing Yosef in the pit, Hashem would
write this deed in the Torah and give Reuven credit for saving Yosef’s life, he
would have carried Yosef back to Yaakov on his own shoulders (Vayikra Rabba
34:8). Meaning, he would have had even truer intentions and a bigger heart.

Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky asks a simple question on
this medrash. Was the only reason Reuven would have carried Yosef back in order
to receive more prestige by having his actions written in the Torah for everyone
to see? Let’s say Hashem wouldn’t have written it down, didn’t Reuven still
have an obligation to do more to save his brother?

When Reuven saved Yosef, he thought he
was saving his brother’s life, a great act in of itself. However, if he would
have brought him back home, he could have prevented the entire family from
going down to Mitzrayim! He didn’t realize this simple action could have
historical consequences. If he would have understood the potential of this
situation, that this small act justified a pasuk in the Torah, and an even bigger
act would have had an even bigger generational impact, of course he would have
done even more! It’s not about the honor that comes with being mentioned in the
Torah, it’s about the understanding of your place in history and what your
actions mean.

Continues Reb Yaakov, the same is true
nowadays. Even though nothing can be added to the Torah, it doesn’t mean that
our acts don’t have value; that they don’t have the potential to change the
world. The medrash ends by saying that now that there are no prophets to write
down the good deeds of the Jews, Hashem, Eliyahu, and Mashiach write them down.
When Mashiach comes, they will be told publicly in order to inspire the nation.
Every good deed is accounted for, and every deed done by a Jew can shape the
future of our nation. So why settle for a small act? Even the smallest acts
have value; maximize the intent of the act in order to maximize the impact on
the Jewish People.

Friday, December 16, 2016

Yaakov’s journey back to Eretz Yisrael took
two years, with a number of events happening to him and his family on the way.
Parshas Vayishlach discusses this two year journey from his showdown with Esav
until he finally reached home. One event on the way was the story of Dina and
Shechem.

Yaakov settled with his family at the
outskirts of the city of Shechem. When his daughter Dina went out to observe
the women of the city, she was kidnapped by the prince, also named Shechem, and
taken to his palace. Soon, Shechem fell in love with Dina and wanted to marry
her; however, even though he had kidnapped her, he didn’t feel right marrying
her without her father’s agreement. So he went with his father, King Chamor, to
ask Yaakov for permission to marry Dina.

Yaakov allowed his sons to deal with the
situation, and led by Shimon and Levi, they came up with a plan to exact revenge.
They told Chamor and Shechem that they would happily give Dina to Shechem and
in addition, they would become a part of the economy and culture of the city.
However, they would only agree to this if every man in the city was given a
Bris Milah. Shechem quickly agreed and they convinced their subjects to receive
Milah.

On the third day after the milah, which
we learn is the most painful day, Shimon and Levi attacked the city, killing
every man, including Shechem and Chamor, and rescued Dina from the palace. Upon
learning about what they did, Yaakov claimed that they had put the entire
family in grave danger from the surrounding nations. Now that they were a
threat, everyone would try to attack them to protect the,mselves! Shimon and
Levi reply simply, “הַכְזוֹנָה יַעֲשֶׂה אֶת־אֲחוֹתֵנוּ” “Should he treat our sister like a harlot?” (Bereishis
34:31). This answer seems to pacify Yaakov, who gives no reply, and the story
ends.

Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky explains that
Yaakov actually did respond to Shimon and Levi, but only much later. In Parshas
Vayechi, before he dies, Yaakov imparts a bracha onto each of his sons.
However, what he tells Shimon and Levi seems more like a curse than a blessing.
“אֲחַלְּקֵם בְּיַעֲקֹב וַאֲפִיצֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל” “I will separate them within Yaakov, and I will disperse
them in Yisrael” (49:7). The common explanation given for this pasuk is
that together, Shimon and Levi could cause a lot of trouble; just look at what
happened in Shechem! Therefore, Yaakov decreed that they should be kept
separate from each other so that nothing like this could happen again.

Rashi brings a different explanation.
Yaakov was establishing that the tribes Shimon and Levi would have to travel from
town to town throughout Eretz Yisrael as the teachers of Torah, and the scribes
writing Sifrei Torah and other holy objects. While other tribes also had a
responsibility to learn Torah, the education of the nation was placed in the
hands of these two tribes. This, says Reb Yaakov, was a direct response to
their attack on Shechem.

All the brothers were understandably
upset about what happened with Dina, and they all together planned how they
would be able to get her back and take revenge on Shechem. However, Shimon and
Levi took it farther than everyone else. By saying “הַכְזוֹנָה
יַעֲשֶׂה אֶת־אֲחוֹתֵנו”, they showed that they
actually felt the pain of their sister in terms of what she was going through
and what her life would be like following this episode. While all the brothers
shared these feelings, they did not feel it to the depths that Shimon and Levi
did. Therefore, it was Shimon and Levi who went out and killed the city, and
when they were confronted about it, had the perfect excuse, “הַכְזוֹנָה
יַעֲשֶׂה אֶת־אֲחוֹתֵנו.” They could
not settle their feelings until they had exacted revenge on the whole city, not
merely weakened them enough to go in and take Dina back.

Yaakov recognized this attitude, and
rewarded them by making them the teachers of Torah. These were the only people
who could be motivated to travel from town to town without rest, never having
time to stay at home, living life on the road, dealing with all the challenges
and frustrations that come with educating large amounts of people. People who
have a burning desire to spread the word of Hashem, who do more than what they
are obligated in because they feel the responsibility, and can connect that
they feel from their perspective. These were the perfect people to be
responsible for teaching Torah to Bnei Yisrael.

Friday, December 9, 2016

Parshas Vayeitzei tells us how Yaakov
began establishing the nation of Yisrael. In this parsha, we see Him go to
Lavan’s house, marry his four wives, have eleven of his twelve children, and
attain massive amounts of wealth. Twenty years after leaving his father’s
house, he has accomplished all he set out to do, and by the end of the parsha,
he begins to travel back to Eretz Yisrael.

As he reaches the border of Eretz
Yisrael, Yaakov is welcomed by some heavenly visitors. “וְיַעֲקֹב
הָלַךְ לְדַרְכּוֹ וַיִּפְגְּעוּ בוֹ מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים. וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב
כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאָם מַחֲנֵה אֱלֹהִים זֶה וַיִּקְרָא שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא מַחֲנָיִם.” “And Yaakov went on his way, and angels of God encountered
him. And Yaakov said when he saw them, ‘This is a Godly camp!’ So he called the
name of that place Machanaim.” (Bereishis 32:2-3). There are several points
to bring up here. First, the word “וַיִּפְגְּעוּ”
indicates that this was a sudden meeting, that Yaakov didn’t see them coming
until they were right in front of him. Secondly, the Torah doesn’t include any
details unless they are vital to the story or lesson it is teaching us. The
Torah already told us that these were angels, so why do we need Yaakov’s observation
that this was a “Godly camp”? Isn’t that obvious if the angels were there?
Lastly, the word “מַחֲנָיִם” is the plural of
“machaneh”, meaning encampment. Yaakov said this was a Godly camp, what was
the second camp?

The Ohr HaChaim discusses all these
questions and explains like this. Looking ahead to the beginning of next week’s
parsha, Vayishlach, it begins with Yaakov sending messengers to Esav in
preparation for their eventual meeting. The meforshim all discuss whether these
were human messengers or angels. The source for the explanation that they were
angels is learned out from here.

As Yaakov came closer to this place, it
appeared to be empty. Suddenly, out of nowhere, it was inhabited by angels. This
is why the pasuk uses the word “וַיִּפְגְּעוּ,”
they literally came out of nowhere to greet Yaakov. This is how he knew
immediately that they were angels, even as they appeared to him in the form of
men. The combination of his surprise at their appearance as well as his
determining that they were actually spiritual beings led Yaakov to exclaim,
“This is a Godly camp! These are angelic beings! We are in a holy place.”

As we are taught in Parshas Vayishlach,
Yaakov sent these angels to bribe Esav, and he also prepared his own family for
a potential battle. But the angels couldn’t help him with that. So the name
“Machanaim” is in reference to the two separate camps operating out of one
location, the camp of angels disguised as men who were preparing to meet Esav
to bribe him and report back to Yaakov, and the camp of men who were preparing
for war.

Throughout the Torah, we see different
explanations that seem to come out of nowhere. We can question where the
commentaries came up with these explanations and if they should be seen as
legitimate. Every once in a while, I like to write a Dvar Torah of this nature
that shows us how the commentaries work; how they arrived at their
explanations. Here is a good example; this question at the beginning of Vayishlach
is a famous one, were Yaakov’s messengers men or angels. Why would I assume
they were angels? What reason do I have to say that Yaakov was able to obtain
heavenly messengers for his earthly mission? By reading the Ohr HaChaim at the
end of this week’s parsha, we see how it is all determined by the reading of
the Torah.

Friday, December 2, 2016

The most commonly discussed event from
this week’s parsha is how Yaakov ‘stole’ the brachos from Esav. Avraham passed
on the blessings he got from Hashem to Yitzchak. Now, with two sons to choose
from,[1] Yitzchak
had to decide which son would receive the different brachos. In the end, he
decided to give Esav certain brachos that had to do with physical prosperity
and success in battle, however, Rivka felt that these brachos should go to Yaakov.

She hatched a scheme; taking advantage
of a blind Yitzchak, she disguised Yaakov as Esav by dressing him in some of
Esav’s clothes (which made Yaakov appear hairier than he was, similar to Esav).
She supplied him with food to take to Yitzchak, and after a few tests, Yitzchak,
convinced that this was indeed Esav, bestowed the brachos upon Yaakov. Even
after discovering he’d been tricked, Yitzchak realized that Yaakov should
receive these brachos, and reaffirmed his giving them to him (See 27:33).[2]

There is no mistaking the fact that Yaakov did in fact trick Yitzchak into
giving him the brachos; and according to Chazal, he was very hesitant to do so.
However, his mother’s insistence and wisdom convinced him to go through with
it. But why did it have to go like this?

Chazal teach us that there are three
middos of Hashem which are represented in each of the Avos. Avraham represents
Chessed (Kindness), Yitzchak represents Din (Justice), and Yaakov represents
Emes (Truth). Yaakov inherently represented truth, he despised trickery and
lies, and yet, in order to receive the blessings of Avraham, when you would
expect him to not want to sully such a special gift of Hashem with lies, he
goes against his principles and fools Yitzchak into giving him the brachos!

It gets more confusing. According to
Rashi, quoting a medrash, the reason why Yitzchak became blind was only in
order so Yaakov could take the brachos (See 27:1). So we see that Hashem set it
up specifically that Yaakov should take the brachos through trickery; but if Hashem
really wanted Yaakov to get the brachos, why would He do it this way? Why was
the only way for Yaakov to take the brachos by pretending to be someone else?

Reb
Yaakov Kaminetzky explains that each of the Avos had to undergo a different
nisayon in order for them to achieve their spiritual potential. The nisyonos of
Avraham are well-documented; he underwent ten nisyonos, culminating in Akeidas Yitzchak.
By observing the nisyonos of Avraham, we begin to see a pattern. Each nisayon,
whether it was abandoning his elderly father to go to Eretz Yisrael, throwing
his young son and his mother out of the house, or sacrificing his only son on
an altar, all affected other innocent parties negatively. By each nisayon,
there was a certain amount of collateral damage involved. Avraham was the
greatest baal chessed who ever lived, why did Hashem give him all these
challenges which caused him to pain others?

Avraham built his avodas Hashem around
doing chessed. That’s why he represents kindness, he based his service of Hashem
around being kind. However, when it comes to serving Hashem, there are times
when kindness is inappropriate, or when your avodas Hashem forces you to
indirectly and/or inadvertently cause pain to others. You may have to leave
your family in order to set off on your greatest path to spirituality; there
may be a time, like the Akeidah, where you have to go against every instinct
and lesson you’ve ever learned and ever taught others because Hashem commanded
you to do so.

This is how Hashem tested Avraham. He
knew that Avraham could be an eved Hashem through chessed, but what about in other
ways? Could Avraham be a true eved Hashem even when it went against his natural
tendencies to be kind, or did he imitate Hashem in being kind because it was easy
for him? After the Ten Nisyonos, Hashem was convinced that he could.

Stealing the brachos was Yaakov’s
nisayon. Hashem knew that Yaakov could serve Him through Truth and Honesty, but
what about with trickery and lies? There are times when we must lie to do a
good deed, there are even halachos about when it is permissible to lie; the
nisayon was if Yaakov could accept this aspect of serving Hashem, or if lying
would turn him off the path. Was the reason he followed Hashem because his
natural inclination was to be truthful, like Hashem, or was he truly l’shem
shamayim, ready to serve Hashem in every scenario.

When Rivka first brings up the plan to Yaakov,
he seems to hesitate. But if you look at the pesukim, his only concern was in
getting caught; he was afraid that since he wasn’t hairy like Esav, Yitzchak would
discover him. But in terms of having to lie, he was ready without hesitation to
do what he knew was his nisayon, his test of character, just like Avraham.[3] Perhaps
this was how Yitzchak ultimately realized that Yaakov was worthy of the
brachos. He knew Yaakov was the embodiment of truth, and when he realized
Yaakov lied in order to accomplish the will of Hashem, he knew that he was the
true heir of Avraham and worthy of the brachos bestowed upon him.

Shabbat Shalom!

[1] Avraham
also had two sons, except that only one of them was descended from his primary wife,
and one of the greatest tzadikot who ever lived, Sarah. Both Yaakov and Esav
were descended from Rivka, so both of them were eligible to receive Avraham’s
brachos.

[2] There
is a lot to discuss about this story, including what was Yitzchak’s original
thought process, why he changed his mind, and how Rivka knew she was right, but
that is for another time.

[3] Reb
Yaakov also discusses what Yitzchak’s nisayon was, but that goes beyond the
scope of this dvar Torah. For those interested, see Emes L’Yaakov (New Edition)
p.154.